iPhone 4S Preorders Top 1 Million in Single Day

According to Apple, first-day preorders of the iPhone 4S hit 1 million, easily besting the previous single-day preorder record of 600,000 set last year by the iPhone 4.

"We are blown away with the incredible customer response to iPhone 4S," Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, said in a statement today announcing the feat. "The first day pre-orders for iPhone 4S have been the most for any new product that Apple has ever launched and we are thrilled that customers love iPhone 4S as much as we do."

It is worth noting, however, that the comparison Apple has drawn between the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 might not be quite so even-steven. The iPhone 4S on Friday was made available for preorder to AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint customers. On its preorder day, the iPhone 4 was made available only to AT&T customers. More carriers, more potential customers.

Apple unveiled its iPhone 4S at a press event at its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters last week. The device comes with the same design as the iPhone 4, but boasts a host of improvements, including a dual-core processor and 8-megapixel camera. In addition, Apple has touted the device's new "wireless system," which on AT&T's network can theoretically offer up to 14.4Mbps download speeds. And for those who need additional storage, Apple has delivered a 64GB model to add to its 16GB and 32GB flavors.

Prior to the iPhone event, rumors were swirling, suggesting Apple would unveil two new iPhones, including an iPhone 5 that would deliver a host of improvements, such as an edge-to-edge display and near-field communication. After that didn't happen, some said that the event proved to be a letdown. But if the preorder figures are considered, it appears many consumers didn't agree.

Although Apple didn't provide a breakdown of preorders, AT&T said on Friday that in the first 12 hours of availability, it logged over 200,000 iPhone 4S preorders. The company didn't provide preorder figures for the second half of the day.

Apple's iPhone 4S goes on sale Friday. The 16GB option retails for $199, while the 32GB version goes for $299. The 64GB iPhone 4S is available for $399.